“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” Exodus 20:8 (NIV)
The fourth commandment is one of life’s greatest struggles and one of the most frequently misunderstood commands. Some Christians imagine they’re honoring God by making Sunday the dullest day of the week, a day marked by long lists of things you cannot do.
Some of us need to begin by clearing away the blockages that might hinder us from hearing the Word of God today. Some of us come from a legalistic background, where the day of rest was a day of misery.
Maybe when you look at the Ten Commandments, you see a list of forbidding rules that load you down with guilt and kill your fun. What kind of a God would do that? Not the God of the Bible. This is one of the fundamental convictions of the Christian faith.
If we really believe that God is good, then we have to start from the conviction that these commands frame the good life that He wants us to enjoy.
Here are some convictions that will help you come to the fourth commandment in the right way:
God is speaking to one of the greatest struggles of our lives. What He says is good, and it is for our good. Following what He says will lead us into blessing. These three convictions will help you begin to see the Sabbath as a day of delight rather than a day to endure.
How strong are your convictions (on a scale from 1 to 10) that God’s commands are good, for your good, and following them will lead you to blessing?
